fowler



`3,6 position.

f UNITED 1 STATES PATENT OFFICE,

WILLiA'M n. FQWLEI't, or PHIIJADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, Assienon To MARTIN J. MYERS, or SAME PLACE.

cLoTHgacu-rmef MACH m E.

application ined Jaimy' 4,1981.. (Nt modem 4Toalla-1mm'4 it may concern Bc yit knownthat I, WILLIAM 1t. FOWLEB,

` a `citizen of the United States, residingin Phib` l -1 adelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain i 5 Improvements in .Cloth-Cnttinghllfachines, ot'

Iwhich the following is a specication.-

My invention relates toccrtain improve.

ments in cloth-cu ttin g machines, similar to that described in my former applications for pat-l `lo ent illed'respeetively on the 24th day of May,

1880,`and the th day of November, 1880,l the objects of my presentimprovements bein gl too fully` describedl hereinafterrto need detailed preliminary explanation;l 't v I the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, Sheet 1is a perspective view `of my improved Y, cloth-cutting machine; Fig. 2, Sheet 2, a side View, in and drawn to a larger sca-le thanzigl and Figs. to 6, detached views of4 different parts of thc device. Arepresentsthe table, the legs ot' which are furnished with wheels, those of one set-ot' legs running on the floor and those of thc otherset 'being' adapted to a grooved rail securedv to the 275110013 this rail having at intervalsl recesses for the'reception op he end of a locking-bolt, a, .on oneof the legs, so that the table A can'be y adj ustedlongitndinally to any desired position 'in respect to the frame Band secured in such l The table Anis provided with 'a cloth-supv porting-bed,pD, consisting of elastic wires prol jecting perpendicnlarly from a suitable back-` ing, and ot' Auniform length, so'as to present a level'snrfaccfor supporting the cloth. This Y .supporting-bed is similar in principle to that described and claimed in my application for patent liled` November 15, 1880; but the pr'escompatativclystitfsupporting-wires,separated or isolated fromeach-other, so that the knife isy at liberty .to'pass freely-fin anyl direction y through 'the bed, and vthc'wircs can yield in any direction.- I have found wire of from four'- teen" to sixteen gage to,l answer \\"e ll in practice for the formation of' the cloth-supporting The spaces vbetween the wires should be slightly `in excess `ot the width of the knife blade, so as not to'interfere with the free turnpressed by the action of the knife incutting.

cnt beddi'ers--i'rom the former one in using .N, sim ilar in 'general princi ple to th at described ing of said knife when it occupies a position. between the wires. In the event of the front edgeof the knife-blade during its forward movement coming into contact with one of the wires, the latter, owing to itsl elasticity,will be thrust aside :in one direction or the other, Fig. 5, and the movement of the-knife will not be impeded.,

I use a cutting-knife, b, having a series of steplike-projections, the u'pper edges ot` which are sharpened so as to cut on the up ward movement of the knife, a plate, d, which Vrests .on the top of thel material, serving as an abutment, against which said material is The plate dis secured to orforms part of a s standard, e,.hung to a frame, E, and free'to in respect theretwthe shaft J, to which the cutter b is attached, being adapted to bear-` ings in said frame E, and v.beingfree both to move vertically and to turn in said bearings as the plate d is turned, the knife b working in a slot in said plate.

The frame'E is secured l0 the outer end of an arm, F, a yoke on the opposite end of which embraces a flange on an arm, G, another flange on the latter being embraced by a yoke on a plate, H, pivoted to a swinging frame, J, hung to the fixed frame B. The arm F is thus free to slide on the arinG, and the latter on the pivoted plate H, as the knife follows the lines of a patternimarkcd on the cloth, the okes being preferably furnished with anti-fr ction -rollers to'f'acilitate this sliding movement of the arms.

The reciprocating motion is im parted to the cutter-shaft b by means of a crank on a shaft, j', adapted to bearings in the frame E'and in a frame, I, on the arm F, said shaftf: being driven bymeans of bevel-gearing foma vertical-shaft, g, also adapted to a bearing inthe frame I, power being applied to thelatter shaft from the main drivin g-shaf't lll on the frame-J through the medium ot' a flexible transmitter.'

. and claimed in my application for patent filed May24,1880. Certain details in the construcv tion'of this transmitter, however, I have modified in the present case. Thus, the transmittingspindle h ismede in two parts, 0ne of which roo is tubular and adapted for the reception of the other part, so that tho spindle can he lengthened or shortened to suitdifierent heights ot' tables A and frames B, the two parts being secured in position after anjustment by means of a pin or other fastening, for it must be understood that this adjustment is entirely independent of the movement of thc spindle iu respect to the driving-pulley due to the movement ot' the cutter, such movement being effected, as before, by the sliding of a plate at the upper end of the spindle on pins i carried lby the pulley. These pins are, however, in the present transmitter connected together at the bottom by a plate, i', so as to increase their stability.

It will be observed that the pivots of the swinging frame J are in line with the drivingshaft M, so that the said frame can be turned trom the position shown by full lines to that shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 without deranging the driving-belts. A segmental guiderod, J, serves tosteady the frame J during its movement, and a-suitable locking device, j, is used to secure-the frame in either of its two positions; and it mayalso be adapted to notches on the rod J', it' desired, so as to secure the frame J' inl positions between the two extremes of movement shown.

The object of using the swinging frame J in conjunction with the sliding arms F Gis to permit cutting over a large area without moving the table A or the cloth thereon, for it will be observed that when the cutter has operated on the cloth 'over the area permitted by the arms F G when the irameJ is in one ot' its extreme positions said frame may be swunginto a new position, and the area reached by the cutter thus extended until the frame occupies the opposite extreme. The frame may then be restored to its first position and the table moved so as to bring a new portion ot' the cloth under the action of the knife.

Any desired thickness of cloth may bc cut with my improved machine, the arm F being adjustable vertically in respect to the arm G, owingto the use of thc slotted standard 'm and bolt m', for securing the said arm F to the yoke on the arm G, so that the pressure of the plate d or. the cloth may be accurately govlerned.

I prefer to make the operating-crank of the knife adjustable, so as to vary the. length .of stroke as desired, and to so construct thc knife b in respect to the length of stroke that the lowest cutting-surface of the knife will pass above the top layer ot' cloth onlthe upward stroke and the highest cutting-surface beneath the lower layer ot' cloth on the downward stroke; and the knife-blade should project so far beneath the lowest cutting-surface that when the knife is at the top of its stroke the lower end of the blade will not be raised above the top of the supporting-bed. By this means I prevent the contact of the knlfe with the tops of the wires i'ormiug the supporting-beds.

By providing the euttting-blade with a series of step-like cutting-edges the hold'taken on the material in starting' the cutis but slight, and gradually increases as the blade is raised, and the operating crank comes into position for more effective action.

The front edge of the knife is made with a projection, fr', so as to prevent the wires from cominginto contact with and d ulling the sharpcned portion ot said front edge adjacent to the lowest cutting -surfacc, a". (See Figs. I5 and 6.)

Any of the forms of hooked' knives shown in my former application for patent, tiled No vember 15, 1880, may be used in the present machine.

Immediately in thc rear ot the plate dis a plate-,11, which is guided on the standard e, and can be raised and lowered by means of a. lever, s, hung to the operating-handhz-S on said standard. This plate is depressed by a spring, and is clothed on the under side with rubber, leather, or ylike substance, which will exert the proper amount ot' friction on tlr-surface of the cloth or other material being out and prevent accidental movement ofthe knife and knife-carrier when the handleSis released. Duringthe cutting operation the plate p is held in its elevated position by the pressure ot' the thumb on the lever s, and the free movement of the plated over the clot-h is not interfered with. The lever may, if desired, be retained in this position by the engagement ot' a pivoted catch thereon with the handle S. The plate p, when depressed, also serves as a guard to prevent the contact ot the plate d with the supporting-bed in' the event of the knife-carrier being moved oft' of the cloth.

In Fig. 4 ot' the drawings I have shown a modied form of cutting-knife, in which the IDO bladcy is made separater-'troni thc shank y',

the latter being bent so.. as to embrace 'the blade. In the rear oi le3shaiiik are formed slots w, adapted for the reception of a lng, w', on the rear oi' the blade, -so/that when the cntting-edge of said blade becomes reduced by grinding said blade can be removed from the shank and the lug adapted to' a slot above that formerly occupied, so as to properly elcvate the cutting-edge. It will be understood that the sides ot' the shank tit, closely to the blade, so as not to interfere with the free passage ot' the saine through the material in cntting.

-Stiiibers other than wire may be used for the supporting-bed l); but wires have been found to answer best in practice, and are preferred.

I claim as my invcntitm-- l. A cloth-supporting bed consisting 0f a backing having wires secured thereto, but isolated from each other, as set forth, so as to permit the passage or turning oi' a knife-blade without contact with the wires, as set forth.

2. The within-described cutting-knife, having a blunt lower ond and a projecting face or movement of the knife,

5 adapted,v to cut on the upward movement of the knife, 'said projections 'receding from the lower to the upper portion of the knife in steplike form, as set forth. f n

- 4.. A cutting-knife having a projecting cut' l xo tingjface or faces, adapted to cut on the upward movementot' the knife, and a b l'untl edge, lfr', projecting beyond the cutting-face of the knife, asset forth. y.

5. A cutting-knife consisting of a cutting- 15 blade, y, and a shank, y', embracing the'same,`

said bladey being adjustable vertically in respect to the shank, as specified.

6. 4The `combination of the blade y, having ay 4 lug, w', with the shank y',having notches w,... y zo as set forth.

n 7. The combination of a permeable bed, substantiallyas described, a traversing knife hav-l ing a projecting cutting portion or portions sharpened-on top `and adapted to cut on the 2 5 upward movement of the knife, and an abutment, d, resting on the material, but'free to move over the sariie,asspecitied. A

8. The combination of the permeable bed, the abutment above the material', the knife 4 3o cutting-on the upward "movement, and recip rocating devices, whereby said knife is operated without carrying the lower end of same abovethe bed, as specilicd.

9. The combinationofa:kniiecarrier--w-ith a 35 supporting'structure comprising a series of arms adapted to slide on each other, the outer arm `heilig secured to `the knifecarrier, andthe inner arm being pivoted, as set forth;

10. rllhe combination of-a knife-carrier with 4o a supporting structure comprising a series of arms adapted to slide on each other, and a pivoted block or plate carrying said arms, and across which they are freefto slide, as specified. 11. The combination of a knife-carrier, a sup- 4 5 porting structure comprising a seriesof arms adapted to slide Von each other and to swing on a pivot-,"knite-operatiu g. gea-rin g carried Vby the outer arm, and a'flexible power-transmitter, whereby said gearing is operated from a 5o fixed pointlocatedabove the pivot of the sup-g .porting structure, as specified.

s., -A n ting device, the spindle h of which is made in sections adjustable in respect to each other, as set forth. x n

13. The combination of a knife-carrier and a supporting structure comprising a series of' arms Vadapted to slide on` each other and toV swing on a' pivot, Vone or more of said arms being vertically adjustable to vary the height of :the knife-carrier to suit different Vthickness of material, as set forth.`

14. The combinationl of the table'A', the frame B, the knife-carrier, the supporting-frame comprising a series of arms adapted to slide-on each other, and a swinging frame, J, carrying said structure and the power-transmitting device, as set forth.

15. The combination of the table A, the xed frame B, the knife carrier, the supporting structure comprising a' series of arms adapted to slide on each other and to swing on a pivot.'

and the swinging frame J, carrying thepiv'ot of said supporting structure and the power-` transmittng devices, as specified, j

16. The` combination of the table.A, fixed frame B, the knife-carrier, the sliding arms, the swinging frame, and means for lock-ing said frame in diii'erent positions, as speciiied. l17. The combination ofthe fixed frame B, the knife-carrier`,ithe sliding arms, the swingf ing frame J, and the longitudinally-adjustable table A, as specified. n

1%.',The combination oE- 'the plate-t ef the knife-carrier with the vertically-adjustable guard-plate protected on the under side, as set forth. y 4 19. The combina-tion `of .the plate d of the knifefcarrier, the vertically-adj ustable.v guardplate p, thehandle S, and the lever s, as speciiied. i v l j lx1-testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. v v

Witnesses:

J AMES F. Tonny,V

HARRY SMITH.' 

